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Morning
Light PRESS RELEASE
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April
25, 2007
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Autrailia's Wilmot
elected skipper of Morning Light
HONOLULU---How do you say "skipper" in Australian?
Jeremy Wilmot, the 21-year-old progeny of a world-class sailing
clan from Down Under, is the unanimous selection of his
Morning Light teammates to lead them in their campaign
through the 44th Transpacific Yacht Race from Los Angeles to
Honolulu in July.
"I'm happy about it," Wilmot said as the team's fourth and final
Hawaii- based training session wound down this week. "It's
good that they trust me. I can't wait to lead them and get better.
It's a pretty unusual circumstance being 21 and the skipper of a
52-foot yacht."
The team, which received special instruction from veteran ocean
racing bowman Jerry Kirby of Newport, R.I. in this session, will
sail their Transpac 52 in the 2,225-nautical mile Transpac on
their own. The whole Morning Light project from team selection
through training and the race will be the subject of a
documentary film produced by Roy E. Disney and Leslie
DeMeuse of Pacific High Productions in association with
Disney Studios. It's scheduled for theater release early next
year.
The timing of Wilmot's selection as skipper and 10 others who
will ultimately sail Transpac came as a surprise to the 15 young
sailors when they were told to meet in seclusion for that
purpose one night last weekend.
"We expected that it was coming," Wilmot said. "We just didn't
expect it that night. There were some jokes when we were
choosing the skipper, [like] 'What do we want the skipper to be
and what credentials do we want him to have?' and [someone
said] 'Nationality.' They're a good fun crew."
Piet van Os, 23, of La Jolla, Calif. was chosen as navigator. He
is a senior at the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo.
With specific roles to be determined, other members of the 11-
person crew are Chris Branning, Sarasota, Fla., 21; Graham
Brant-Zawadzki, 22, Newport Beach, Calif.; Charlie Enright, 22,
Bristol, R.I.; Jesse Fielding, 20, North Kingstown, R.I.; Robbie
Kane, 22, Fairfield, Conn.; Chris Schubert, 22, Rye, N.Y.; Mark
Towill, 18, Kahalu'u, Hawaii; Genny Tulloch, 22, Houston, Tex.,
and Chris Welch, 19, Grosse Pointe, Mich.
Chris Clark, 21, Old Greenwich, Conn.; Steve Manson 22,
Baltimore; Kate Theisen, 20, Socorro, N.M., and Kit Will, 22,
Milton, Mass., will continue to train as alternates and become
vital shore support for the team in terms of boat prep,
provisioning and maintenance. They'll also go to Hawaii at race
time.
Disney said, "They will always be part of the team. I was so
impressed with the mature and tough-minded way they all took
on this difficult task of agreeing on the final crew, and then went
right out the next morning with the same dedication. It's still a
team of 15 people. I think they are going to be formidable
competitors."
Morning Light will do its final training from Long Beach's
downtown Rainbow Harbor--- Transpac's mainland home port---
in June and compete in the First Team Real Estate Invitational
Regatta for the Hoag Cup June 8-10 in Newport Beach, where
Disney will be honorary chairman.
Wilmot, a resident of Sydney who attends St. Mary's College of
Maryland, will turn 22 in September. He is the son of Jamie
Wilmot, a veteran of big- time ocean racing, including the
annual Sydney-Hobart Race---which Jeremy has never done.
"My father hasn't let me do one yet," he said. "I've been watch
captain on quite a few boats in other ocean races in Asia and
on the East Coast but never skipper. Maybe he'll see how I go
in this one and let me do the next one."
Kirby tutored the team in techniques and procedures developed
from his experience in two Whitbread/Volvo round the world
races, several America's Cups and many other events. He'll
work the bow on Disney's Pyewacket in the Transpac, starting
alongside Morning Light in the last group of big boats off Point
Fermin in San Pedro on Sunday, July 15.
"They wanted someone who could bring an America's Cup
perspective and get their boat handling to a higher level, and
coach them on everything from personal hygiene to safety stuff
and medical training," Kirby said. "The kids are great and
they’re really hungry to take their game up a notch."
Wilmot said Kirby taught them "amazing things [such as]
offshore etiquette, getting the boat going, not just speed-wise
but in the maneuvers. The bow team was amazed seeing how
you can just manhandle a 52-boat boat. You can’t hesitate. You
just go at it to get the job done. He brought that to the team."
Kirby, 51, is still noted for his hyperactive life and youthful
demeanor. "If you want someone to coach kids, who better than
the oldest kid on the planet?" he said.
One of his early America's Cups was as bowman on the ill-fated
American challenge Eagle at Fremantle in Wilmot's home
country in 1986-87, only months after Wilmot was born. Kirby
related to where his career was then.
"I tried to explain to these kids that if they have any intention to
take their game beyond this project – and 10 of the 15 aspire to
go pro – to try to give them an insight into how serious the next
level is. There are not a lot of opportunities for young kids to get
out on big boats offshore. This is huge for them."
Ala Wai clean and pristine again
If Ala Wai Yacht Harbor looks a little better today, part of the
reason is the Morning Light team's way of saying mahalo.
On April 21 the young sailors led an Ala Wai Clean Up project
with the Waikiki Yacht Club, Sierra Club, West Marine and 24
Hour Fitness to spruce up the harbor, not only for the Ala Wai
community but to improve the quality of water for everyone.
Team sponsors, boaters in the Ala Wai basin and the general
public also joined in.
Equipped with shiny nets donated by West Marine, the army of
volunteers launched a three-pronged attack on the garbage in
the boat harbor. With extra manpower and inspiration from
morning strollers joining in the effort, the Ala Wai Harbor was
once again a beautiful place.
Morning Light on the Web
Photos of the team in training may be viewed at
www.papahui.com
More information: www.transpacificyc.org
MEDIA CONTACTS
Rich Roberts
(310) 835-2526
cell (310) 766-6547
Michiko Wada
(808) 554-3328
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Jeremy Wilmot, the ML skipper
Piet van Os will navigate
Jerry Kirby (l.) checks out the
team
Ala Wai Harbor before the cleanup
...and after
Morning Light pool photos
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The Morning Light team
(Ages at time of race)
CHRIS BRANNING, 21, Sarasota, Fla., 2/C
Midshipman, U.S. Merchant Marine
Academy.
GRAHAM BRANT- ZAWADZKI,
22,
Newport Beach, Calif., graduate, Stanford
Univ.
CHRIS CLARK, 21,
Old Greenwich,
Conn., sailmaker.
CHARLIE ENRIGHT,
22, Bristol, R.I.,
Brown Univ. sailing coach.
JESSE FIELDING,
20, North Kingstown,
R.I., student Univ. of Rhode Island.
ROBBIE KANE, 22,
Fairfield, Conn., Univ,
of Rhode Island, racing sailboat captain.
STEVE MANSON, 22,
Baltimore, Md.,
asst. fleet manager Downtown Sailing
Center, sailing instructor.
CHRIS SCHUBERT,
22, Rye, N.Y., 1/C
Midshipman, U.S. Naval Academy.
KATE THEISEN, 20,
Socorro, N.M., junior
New Mexico Tech, astrophysics.
MARK TOWILL, 18,
Kahalu'u, Hawaii,
senior Punahou School, sailing instructor.
GENNY TULLOCH, 22,
Houston, Texas,
sailor, graduate Harvard Univ., Quantum
female college sailor of the year.
PIET VAN OS, 23,
La Jolla, Calif., senior
California Maritime Academy, sailing
coach, boat captain.
CHRIS WELCH, 19,
Grosse Pointe, Mich.,
sophomore Michigan State Univ.
KIT WILL, 22, Milton,
Mass., senior
Connecticut College.
JEREMY WILMOT, 21,
Sydney, Australia,
St. Mary's College of Maryland
international student.
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TRANSPAC RACE STATUS
